‘The Ruins’ ending: how the Netflix hit was nearly much darker

The Ruins has found a new audience following its release on Netflix.

Directed by Carter Smith (Swallowed) and based on the book by Scott B. Smith, the horror film follows two American couples on vacation in Mexico who join a trip to a remote Mayan ruin – only to find the place covered in carnivorous vines.

Cast members include Jonathan Tucker, Jena Malone, Shawn Ashmore, Laura Ramsey and Joe Anderson.

The film was a box office bomb at the time of its release in 2008 – earning $22.9million at the worldwide box office against a budget of $25million.

How does The Ruins end?

At the conclusion in the theatrical version, Amy (Jena Malone) is the only survivor after her boyfriend Jeff (Jonathan Tucker) distracts the Mayans so she can make a run for the Jeep. Jeff, who diverts attention away from Amy’s body, is eventually killed by a gunshot to the head. We last see Amy escaping in the Jeep away from the ruins.

Prior to this, their friends Stacy (Laura Ramsey) and Eric (Shawn Ashmore) suffer a dismal fate. After becoming paranoid of the vines growing inside her, Stacy is seen slicing open her body with a knife. As Eric attempts to take the knife away from her, she spins round and stabs Eric in the chest, with his dead body dragged away by the vines.

Overcome with remorse and perhaps realising the extent of her wounds, Stacy begs Jeff to kill her. Jeff then kills her as an act of mercy.

In the final scene of the film, following Amy’s escape, we see Dimitri’s two friends arriving at the Mayan ruins looking for him.

What happens in the book?

The book, which shuffles the order in which characters are killed, manages to be even more bleak. Amy is the first of the Americans to die, after the vines grow down her throat and she drowns in her own vomit. Jeff, Mathias and Eric then die in various ways, similar to events of the film, with Stacy being the final survivor instead.

Stacy, who knows the two Greek tourists will be on their way to find them, decides to die by suicide to leave her body as a warning for them – only for the vines to drag her corpse away. A few days later, their friends arrive at the ruins, much like the film’s ending.

Director Carter Smith previously explained to the Miami Herald in 2008 why they changed the ending for the film. “I love the ending of the book, but if the movie had ended the same way, the audience would have wanted to kill themselves,” he said.

Are there any other endings?

An unrated version of The Ruins features an alternate ending whereby Amy, while driving away in the Jeep, is shown with vines moving under her face – suggesting she will soon die from the infection.

An extended version also features a deleted scene, whereby a caretaker is seen wandering in a cemetery. He passes what turns out to be Amy’s grave, which is surrounded by the vine’s red flowers.

The Ruins is available to stream on Netflix UK.

The post ‘The Ruins’ ending: how the Netflix hit was nearly much darker appeared first on NME.